Apple Cup
Brink's 1st goal: stay in contest

By Craig Smith
Seattle Times staff reporter

DONALD MIRALLE / GETTY IMAGES Quarterback Alex Brink hopes to lead Washington State to its first Apple Cup victory since 1997, when Ryan Leaf powered the Cougars to a 41-35 win and a Rose Bowl berth.

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PULLMAN — Alex Brink is well aware that the past two Cougars quarterbacks to start Apple Cups haven't finished them.

And he doesn't need to be reminded that the Cougars have lost six in a row to Washington and that he is the triggerman in the attempt to halt the embarrassing streak.

"I'm going to try to stay healthy," Brink said. "It's the Apple Cup. A little ding isn't going to take me out of the game. I'm going to try to play through stuff if something happens, but God forbid nothing does."

Last year, the Cougars led 10-0 in the second quarter when starter Matt Kegel left the game with injuries and was replaced by Josh Swogger. The Cougars wound up losing 27-19 when the Huskies scored twice in the final 70 seconds.

In 2002, the Cougars led 17-10 with about eight minutes to play when Husky Terry Johnson sacked Jason Gesser and knocked him out of the game. Kegel entered and, two possessions later, had a pass intercepted by Nate Robinson that led to the tying field goal with 15 seconds left.

The Huskies won 29-26 in triple overtime.

This year, the Cougars lost their No. 1 quarterback after six games when redshirt sophomore Swogger underwent foot surgery. Brink, a 19-year-old redshirt freshman, inherited the job with gusto.

Brink has played well enough in the past two games to ignite a quarterback controversy for next season. Coach Bill Doba this week called the inevitable controversy "a real headache" and said Swogger probably has the edge.

Brink, who is more mobile than Swogger, has completed 37 of 64 passes (57 percent) for 421 yards and two touchdowns with one interception in the past two games. For the season, Brink is 82 for 170 (48 percent) for 1,065 yards with five TDs and five interceptions.
 
Swogger, who has the stronger arm, completed 47 percent of his passes for 1,283 yards in his six starts and threw 13 touchdown passes while being intercepted seven times.

The Cougars hope Brink can go the distance tomorrow because the backup is true freshman Gary Rogers from Kamiak High School in Mukilteo. Doba has made it clear that Rogers will play only if the game is at stake.

"I don't want to burn my redshirt," Rogers said. "But if the coaches feel it's necessary, I'm definitely going in."

Rogers has benefited from being the backup QB ever since Swogger was injured.

"Getting thrown in with the No. 1 offense has helped me a ton," said Rogers, who noted that before his promotion: "I wasn't getting any reps and was just watching and not knowing much of the system."

Brink got the same accelerated education last fall when he was a true freshman and Kegel started suffering injuries. Brink was put on "red alert" status behind Swogger and was treated like a varsity player, not a down-the-road project.

The Cougars didn't have to use Brink last season and they hope they don't have to use Rogers.

If Brink gets injured after the game's outcome is decided or has to leave for only a few plays, punter Kyle Basler is an option at quarterback. Basler played some QB at Elma High School.

The Cougars lost one quarterback last summer when oft-injured Chris Hurd transferred to Texas-El Paso. Walk-on Mike Reilly quit the team in August.

The last good performance by a Cougars quarterback in the Apple Cup was in 1997 by Ryan Leaf in the 41-35 triumph that sent the Cougars to the Rose Bowl. That also happened to be the last time the Cougars won the Apple Cup. It was hardly a coincidence.

Craig Smith: 206-464-8279 or csmith@seattletimes.com